Chapter 19: Revival in a Desperate Situation

The Turkiš people cut through the frozen rivers nearby, soaking dozens of large trees in water. Even the attacking soldiers were drenched with water. In the face of this wall of wet trees, the Tang army’s rockets became ineffective.
Duluoxian led nearly a thousand men in the attack. He personally commanded them from behind the trees, with a dense crowd of Turkiš warriors following closely behind. They ran in short steps, shouting slogans one after another.
“The gods protect us!”
……
“Kill all the enemies!”
Amidst the slogans were Duluoxian’s howling cries: “Charge in! Take whatever wealth and women you want!”
The Turkiš warriors roared like a tide and rushed toward the valley entrance. The Tang army’s arrows were still fierce and numerous, but they were blocked by branches and leaves, greatly reducing their lethality. The Tang army’s attacks grew weaker.
The Turkiš warriors drew closer. Those at the front held onto the tree trunks, while those behind held up saddles to shield themselves from the arrows fired in arcs by the Tang army. They resembled a swarm of Gobi wolves, closing in on the valley entrance. Many Turkiš warriors were killed by arrows, but others immediately took their place.
“Ahh!” A shrill scream echoed as a short-statured Tang soldier had his throat pierced by an arrow and collapsed dead on the spot. Another scream followed as a Tang soldier on a cliff was hit by an arrow and rolled down.
The Turkiš warriors had already crossed the ditch, now less than fifty paces away from the Tang army’s cover. Under the moonlight, they surged forward in overwhelming numbers, densely packed at the gourd-shaped entrance of the valley—there were at least a thousand of them.
Li Qing’an bit his lip tightly. His arrows flew like meteors, one after another. With each arrow, someone screamed as they fell to the ground. In just a moment, over twenty people were killed. But the enemy was too numerous. They had already reached twenty paces away. Under the moonlight, they all had disheveled hair, were drenched, and had fierce, menacing faces.
Li Qing’an’s expression turned grim. The enemy was too close, and crossbows were no longer useful. Suddenly, he shouted loudly, “First team, mount your horses! Use cavalry to charge at them!”
He mounted his horse and shouted at the Tang soldiers, “Brothers, let the Turkiš people taste the power of the Tang cavalry!”
……
Li Qing’an swung his long spear and rode out of cover, charging straight at the Turkiš warriors. More than fifty Tang soldiers also mounted their horses, wielding their lances as they charged after him. The leading Turkiš warriors were terrified by the sudden attack. They dropped the tree trunks and hastily fought back. But the Tang cavalry was fierce, knocking over dozens of them in a row. Yet the Turkiš warriors kept surging forward like a tide, fighting fiercely with the Tang army.

Li Qingan was covered in blood. The Tang soldiers around him kept falling and dying. Faced with the fierce siege of dozens of enemies, Li Qingan showed no fear. With slashes of his sword and thrusts of his spear, corpses piled up around him, and blood flowed like a river. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of He Yanming behind him, already leading his troops onto their horses to come to his aid. Angrily, he shouted, “He Yanming, how dare you leave your post!”

He Yanming stepped back in fear as Li Qingan’s orders rang in his ears, “If I die in battle, He Yanming shall take over as the commander.”

He Yanming stared blankly at Li Qingan, at his face blurred by blood. Tears streamed down his eyes. No! He couldn’t die, not alone like this. Suddenly, the courage of the Han people, hidden deep in his heart, was slowly awakened. He drew his sword and roared wildly, “Brothers, it’s time to serve our country loyally!”

He charged forward on his horse, grabbed a Turkic rider’s helmet, and severed his neck with a single swing. More than fifty Tang soldiers rushed forward, roaring in fury, their eyes red with murderous intent. The Tang army’s morale soared instantly. Nearly a hundred of them slaughtered wildly among the dense enemy forces. The Turkic riders finally grew fearful and turned to flee, leaving hundreds of corpses behind as they escaped in disarray under the pursuit of the Tang army.

……

The battlefield settled temporarily. Li Qingan sat on a large rock, with a soldier bandaging his wounds with gauze. He had been struck by two swords and an arrow, but none of the wounds were life-threatening. One cut on his face was particularly severe, creating a deep, long gash.

He Yanming knelt before him, admitting his fault. “I left my post without permission. Please punish me, General.”

Li Qingan stared at him and said solemnly, “Disobeying military orders is a capital offense. But considering your contributions in killing enemies, I will spare your life. From now on, you will be demoted to squad leader. Are you satisfied?”

“I am satisfied. Thank you, General, for sparing my life.”

At that moment, Han Jinping limped over. He had fought alongside Li Qingan and had also been wounded in the leg.

“Reporting to the General, including those killed by arrows, a total of twenty-one brothers have died, and thirty-five are injured.”

Li Qingan sighed. “Write down their names and collect their belongings. Later, send them home along with their ashes.”

He glanced at the sky—it was already the fourth watch. He stood up and said, “This approach won’t work. Once daylight comes, it will favor the enemy. If they launch another similar attack, we might be completely wiped out. We must find another way.”

“Does the General have any good strategies?”

Li Qing’an nodded slowly. “I already noticed earlier—most of these cavalry aren’t regular troops. They’re probably ordinary herders who retreat at the slightest loss. From my experience, if we kill their leader, their morale will crumble and they’ll withdraw to Suiye.”
“I saw their leader,” He Yanming interjected. “He’s in his thirties and has been hiding at the back the whole time.”
“That’s right! It’s that man, Duruo Xian—our old friend.” Li Qing’an picked up his bow and arrows. He glanced at the cliff and smiled slightly. “I didn’t manage to kill him last time. This time, I’ll shoot him down with a single arrow!”
He Yanming and Han Jinping were both shocked. He Yanming quickly tried to stop him. “How can we let the general take such a risk? Let me go instead.”
Li Qing’an glared at them. “This is my order. Who dares disobey?”
“Use kerosene to burn the trees and the enemy corpses so they can’t attack for now. Buy me some time.”
Li Qing’an tidied himself up slightly, slung his bow and a quiver of arrows on his back, and fastened his sword at his waist. He strode toward the cliff, which was about ten zhang high, sheer and steep with no way to climb. But since there were two sentries on top, a long rope had been thrown down so they could climb up. Li Qing’an tied the rope around his waist.
Just as he was about to signal up, a slender figure suddenly appeared beside him. “General Li, where are you going?”
It was Shi Julan. She had seen him while he was bandaging his wound, but since he was bare-chested, she hadn’t dared approach. Seeing him head alone toward the cliff, she quietly followed behind.
Under the moonlight, she suddenly saw Li Qing’an’s face and exclaimed in shock, “General Li, your face…”
“I’ve got a minor wound. It’s nothing serious. Go back to your quarters!”
“No! Let me see.”
Shi Julan stubbornly stepped forward, gently touching the long wound. “Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
Li Qing’an wrapped his arms around her waist and, pointing at the wound, said with a smile, “If you kiss it, it won’t hurt.”
Shi Julan’s chest heaved violently. A glint appeared in her beautiful eyes as she slowly reached out to wrap her arms around Li Qing’an’s neck, her soft red lips pressing against his in a tender first kiss, offering it to the hero in her heart.
Li Qing’an was intoxicated. He held the beautiful girl tightly, savoring her grace. Suddenly, he pushed her away and laughed loudly to the sky, “I’m going! I’ll use Duruo Xian’s head as a wine vessel and celebrate with you!”
……